Manolo

Interesting Manolo, I did have a wee laugh when I read silly Gaff foaming “That’s a very clear contradiction. Murray McCully appears to have misled the House.” I mean to say everybody that sits on their fat behinds in that cess pit beehive constantly spins bullshit. Why do our lying leaders bother saying a frigging prayer before they start the crapola? Hi John better start the spin doctors up you sick joke.

East Wellington Superhero

NZ Parliamentary prayer:
“Almighty God, humbly acknowledging our need for Thy guidance in all things, and laying aside all private and personal interests, we beseech Thee to grant that we may conduct the affairs of this House and of our country to the glory of Thy holy name, the maintenance of true religion and justice, the honour of the Queen, and the public welfare, peace, and tranquillity of New Zealand, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

East Wellington Superhero

Australian Parliament says the Lord’s Prayer at the start of their session, and their Constitution begins with:
“WHEREAS the people of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, and Tasmania, humbly relying on the blessing of Almighty God, have agreed to unite in one indissoluble Federal Commonwealth under the Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and under the Constitution hereby established”

MyNameIsJack

The Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office of public trust under the Commonwealth.

East Wellington Superhero

There are none so blind as those who do not wish to see.

Also, Section 116 is titled “Commonwealth not to legislate in respect of religion”. It’s about religious freedom and having no State Church, rather than making the state a-theist. Acknowledging God as the source of all goodness in Parliament is not the same as imposing Christianity on all citizens. This is in fact the beauty of Christian government – it tolerates religious freedom. Other forms of government – atheist and Muslim for example, tend not to tolerate it; alternative views seen as a threat to power get curbed.

East Wellington Superhero

MyNameIsJack

Beginning Parlaiment with a prayer IS imposing religion on everyone within that Parliament, and a very particular form of religion, and by extension, everyone who comes under the laws made by that parliament.

Magnanomis

It’s an Anglican prayer, and the Anglican Church is the civic religion or quasi-established church of NZ , which is just as it should be. Hence, St. Paul’s Cathedral is always referred to as Wellington Cathedral and all national commemorations happen at St Paul’s or are led by Anglican clerics. God deserves the best….

MyNameIsJack

Magnawotsist – we are discussing the AUSTRALIAN situation, you know, where they have a wruitten constitution aNd no maoris shitting on everything. Only a last few boongs to have their dying pillows smoothed….